Flying Solo
by TheWickedWitchOfOz
Summary: Alternate ending. Elphaba goes to the Emerald city and meets the Wizard on her own.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **it's still not mine (and wouldn't life be so much easier if, when we joined ffnet, we just agreed to a general disclaimer?)

**Author's Note:** so here I am with Wicked multichapter story number Five. I was going to let the pairing be a surprise (hence it being absent from the summary) but decided I would be doing myself any favours by not revealing it before anyone starts reading. The first three chapters are taken straight from the musical (I was expecting to only need one chapter for these parts) after that it does begin to change.

A note on the 'voices' the main characters have in this fic:

**Elphaba:** Kerry Ellis (in other words British accent)

**Galinda & Fiyero**: Original Broadway Cast.

**Everyone else:** pick whoever you want, I went for British Nessa so the accents matched.

**Pairing:** Fiyero/Galinda **all** the way through.

All flames related to the pairing will be shown to my friends and giggled over. For those of you who are willing to try the story before you flame, I hope you enjoy it

**Flying Solo – Chapter One**

Miss Galinda Upland, of the _Upper _Uplands, was making her way quite happily across the courtyard of Shiz University when her trivial thoughts about what she was going to do during her 'study' period were interrupted by the irritating Munchkin boy who had been fawning over her since the first day of the year.

_What was his name? Bak? Barq? Biq? Yes, Biq that's it._

She acknowledged his presence with a vague smile, which he apparently took as an invitation to actually _speak _to her!

"Uh, Miss Galinda, I know I'm just a Munchkin, but Munchkins have feelings too, and I've been trying to tell you mine for you. But sometimes it seems like you don't even know I'm there.

"That's not true, Biq."

"It's Boq."

A loud horn beeping, followed by the appearance of a three wheeled vehicle, saved Galinda from having to respond directly

"Here we are, sir!" announced the driver loudly, presumably to wake up his sleeping passenger who was sprawled across the back seat. "Shiz University!"

"What? What? _Already_? What a shame."

Thr new arrival stretched and sat up, he clapped his hand on the driver's shoulder and farewelled him cheerfully.

"Well, see you soon, Avaric. Don't worry; I won't last longer at this school than I did at any of the others."

After his passenger climbed out of the vehicle Avaric drove away and out of the courtyard.

Galinda nearly swooned with delight as she realised who the tall handsome new arrival was, she grabbed the Munchkin's arm as the young man walked towards them.

"Do you realise who that is? That's Fiyero Tiggular, that Winkie Prince whose reputation is _so_ scandalacious!"

_I can't believe my good luck! _Thought Galindaasshe walked away from the Munchkin. _Prince Fiyero Tiggular at __**Shiz University**__ and I'm the first girl he meets here!_

She wanted to squeal with delight but instead she stopped a strategic distance from the Prince and tossed her hair from side to side. Bemused the 'Winkie Prince' stopped and repeated the action, which was somewhat less effective with his shorter hair, and grinned at the pretty blonde girl. Galinda responded to his grin with flirtatious smile of her own.

"Were you looking for something or some_one_?"

"Uhh yeah..." said Fiyero vaguely, he stood next to Galinda and pulled out a notepad with his timetable on it. "Some sort of…history class?"

Boq hurried over when he heard that, seeing an opportunity to get rid of this Prince fellow, and tapped Fiyero on the shoulder with his notebook.

"That's the History building right over there, you'd better…"

"That class just ended!" interrupted Galinda, waving her hand under Fiyero's face to make sure _she_ had his attention and restraining the urge to glare at the Munchkin, it wouldn't do to ruin her image of being nice to everyone – well except her horrendible roommate but since when did she count?

"Oh! Perfect timing!" said Fiyero cheerfully, shoving the notebook back into his bag and smiling at the pretty blonde girl again. "So Miss…?"

"Miss Galinda Upland of the _Upper_ Uplands," replied Galinda. "But you can call me Galinda."

"So, Galinda, what does one do for fun around here?"

"Nothing really..." replied Galinda, looking thoroughly disappointed by that fact. She tilted her head towards Fiyero and smiled. "Until _now_..."

"Yes, we've been studying!" interjected Boq, who was lurking behind Galinda again.

"What? Well, I see that once again the responsibility to corrupt my fellow students falls to me. Fortunately, I'm up for the task."

He walked behind Galinda and companionably put his hand on Boq's shoulder, since the shorter boy was obviously the one who needed the advice.

"You see, my friend, the trouble with schools is they don't understand what people _really_ need to know. They want you to be less shallow and worry about things you can't change. I say 'why invite stress in?' there are so many things in life that people feel obliged to be concerned about when they don't _need_ to be."

"What a thrillifying coincidence!" exclaimed Galinda, pausing for a moment when the official end of class bell rang and students started filing out of the classrooms.

"That is exactly how I feel. How do _you_ deal with it all?"

Fiyero turned his attention away from the other boy and back to the lovely Miss Galinda. He couldn't help noticing that a lot of the girls, and even some of the young men, passing through the courtyard had recognised him but he ignored them in favour of talking to Galinda.

"It's simple really," said Fiyero, putting his arm around Galinda's shoulder – much to the disgust of the other young ladies hovering nearby. "It's a little philosophy I like to call 'dancing through life'…"

"It sounds like fun!" declared Galinda immediately, she was well aware of the envy of the other girls and couldn't wait to tell her two closest friends that nearly the whole school had seen her being paid special attention by a Prince!

"And that is precisely the point of it all!" agreed Fiyero cheerfully. He was equally pleased that the very first person he met at Shiz was one of the most beautiful, and probably popular, girls in the school. Oh and that short fellow who seemed to have a crush on Miss Galinda but he wasn't exactly important.

"Life is too short to worry about being all deep and meaningful," he waved his free hand to dismiss those dull people who actually _cared_ about things. "Why should we bother thinking about those things when it's so much easier to just _glide_ through life and actually enjoy ourselves? On that subject…"

He let go of Galinda's shoulders and stepped up onto the base of the statue that loomed over the courtyard.

"What all of you hardworking students _really_ need is a party! Am I right?"

The students in the courtyard cheered enthusiastically at the suggestion and Fiyero turned to Galinda again.

"So, what's the most swankified place in town?"

"Uhh…that would be the Ozdust Ballroom," decided Galinda after considering the possible party locations, or rather lack there of, in Shiz City.

"Sounds perfect!" he said, winking at Galinda who lowered her face and blushed slightly. Raising his voice so everyone else could hear him, he announced the arrangements for the evening.

"Listen up everybody! You, and any friends you want to bring along, are all invited to a party at the Ozdust Ballroom, held by me – Fiyero Tiggular. It'll start at eight and we'll dance all night!"

The students all cheered as he jumped down from the statue and did a short demonstration of a popular dance.

"And of course one thing every gentleman has to do tonight," he announced and held his hand out to Galinda to demonstrate. "Find the prettiest girl and give her a whirl…"

Galinda didn't take his hand as expected so he turned around to see what had happened and, as he half guessed, there was the short fellow again – he looked very pleased with himself, unlike Galinda who looked quite furious, as he finished twirling the blonde girl around.

"That was brilliant," said one of the hovering girls, daring to move in and take Galinda's place next to the prince. "I bet you know all the newest steps!"

"I most certainly do," replied Fiyero with an automatic smile. The girl was pretty enough but he preferred Galinda. "All the newest steps being danced in the most swankified clubs in the Emerald City."

"You've been to the Emerald City? How amazifying! Can you show _us_ the steps?"

"I certainly can," agreed Fiyero amiably. "That is, if Miss Galinda will consent to be my partner for the demonstration?"

Galinda smiled beautifully, making Boq sigh, even as she walked away from him, the Munchkin didn't notice how relieved she was to be away from him.

"I would be _delighted_ to dance with you, Master Tiggular," she didn't want to be too familiar and use his first name but students at Shiz weren't _supposed_ to pay any attention to rank so she settled for the next best thing.

"Please," said Fiyero, pulling her gently by the hand to get her to stand with him. "_You_ may call me Fiyero."

"So it starts a little like this…"

Fiyero demonstrated a few steps, which Galinda – and the other students – attempted to copy, then he surprised her by coming closer and showing off a quick move for partners. She shivered with delight as he grabbed her hands and pulled her closer, far too briefly, before spinning her out again.

Thank Oz for all those years of dance classes! She thought, feeling breathless from the dancing. She was surprised, and very pleased, when Fiyero put his arm around her shoulders for a few moments while he took a breather himself and watched the students practicing the steps he'd just shown them. 

With a quick smile he removed his arm from her shoulder and started demonstrating another step then held out his hand, which she accepted gratefully, and pulled her into another quick, partnered, step. He was still holding her hand when the warning bell, indicating that there was only fifteen minutes left of the lunchbreak, rang and most of the students departed. Fiyero seemed to be about to say something when the Munchkin, to Galinda's extreme but invisible disgust, rushed over and butted in between them

"Miss Galinda!" he stepped in front of Fiyero. The Prince shrugged and walked away stepping onto the base of the statue to see how Miss Galinda Upland of the _Upper_ Uplands would handle her unwanted suitor, which led to him wondering if she had any other suitors who were less unwanted.

"I hope you'll save at least one dance for me," continued Boq, oblivious to Galinda's disinterest in him and rather desperate interest in being somewhere else, preferably with Fiyero. "I'll be waiting right there. Right by your side. Waiting. All night."

"Oh how very kind!" exclaimed Galinda, as an idea came into her mind. She smiled at the boy as he bowed to her quickly. "But do you know what would be even kinder? See that poor lonely girl over there?"

She pointed discreetly to Miss Nessarose, the daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland.

"It seems so unfair that we're all going to a wonderful party and no one even thought to invite her! I mean I would invite her myself but it simply isn't done for a lady to invite another lady…"

"I could invite her!" suggested Boq immediately; surely being kind to a crippled girl was a very good way to get Miss Galinda's approval!

"Oh Biq, really?" exclaimed Galinda, very girlishly. "You would do that for _me_?"

"I would do **anything** for _you_, Miss Galinda!"

Boq was so excited that she approved of his idea that he even forgot to correct her when she said his name incorrectly _again_. He walked quickly across the courtyard and addressed the Governor's daughter.

"Excuse me Miss Nessarose?" His voice was clearly audible to Galinda and Fiyero even if her softer reply wasn't. "There's something I'd like to ask you..."

Obviously Miss Nessarose agreed to hear his request because the next moment he was pushing her chair back into one of the Shiz buildings.

"You're good," said Fiyero admiringly, as he stepped down from his perch on the statue.

"I don't know what you mean..." replied Galinda with a little skip in her step, which combined with her answer made Fiyero chuckle.

"But I do happen to be free tonight, so..."

"So I'll be picking you up around eight?" suggested Fiyero, and Galinda nodded.

"After all," she said, as he walked closer to her. "Now that we've met each other, and it seems a dreadful shame that we did not meet each other sooner, it seems to me that you're perfect and…"

"You're perfect," countered Fiyero, holding out his hand for her to take. "In fact it seems to me that we're perfect _together_."

* * *

Elphaba Thropp was thoroughly sick of hearing about the 'Winkie Prince' and the big party he was throwing in town tonight. She managed to restrain her irritation until she got to her sister's room, where she had promised to meet Nessa after their afternoon classes were finished.

"It's absurd!" she exclaimed, as soon as she entered the room. "This silly rich boy shows up and everyone is off to worship him at some cultish social gathering!"

"Even me," interjected Nessa, in a rather dry tone, wanting to share her excitement _before_ Elphaba got too carried away with her ranting and ruined it.

"What?"

_I suppose I shouldn't be surprised,_ thought Elphaba, after her initial outburst. _Of course someone was going to invite Nessa!_

"I'm going!" repeated Nessa defensively, misinterpreting her sister's exclamation to mean that Elphaba was going to try and forbid her from going.

"Oh well obviously I didn't mean _you_ shouldn't go, Nessa. I just meant that it was ridiculous for people to carry on this way. May I ask whom you are going with? Some of your classmates?"

"Boq!" declared Nessa happily.

"Boq?"

_How odd. He's always mooning around Miss "Galinda with a **Ga**" Upland, I wonder how he has any energy left to spare for my sister._

"Isn't it wonderful! He was too shy to ask me at first but once Galinda encouraged him…"

"Galinda?" repeated Elphaba urgently, Boq's sudden liking for Nessa made sense **now**!

"Nessa, don't you see what's going on…"

"No!" shouted Nessa, recognising the tone of voice Elphaba used when she was about to go off on one of her fits about what a wretched person Miss Galinda was.

"Don't you _dare_ say another word against her. I'm about to have the first happy night of my _life_ thanks to **Galinda**."

_She certainly seemed to enjoy all of those parties with Father, _thought Elphaba but decided not to say that to her sister, who seemed more disinclined than usual to pay attention.

"I only wish there was _something_ **I** could do for Miss Galinda, to repay her for being so kind to me. Don't you see? Boq and I, we belong together and if it weren't for Galinda he might never have had a chance to find that out! Elphaba, please, _try_ to understand!"

"I do understand and I _want_ you to have a happy night, Nessa, I just think…"

"Well don't!" snapped Nessa. "Maybe if you spent less time thinking the _worst_ of people you'd have more friends!"

_It shouldn't hurt this much,_ thought Elphaba, feeling betrayed by her emotions. _It shouldn't hurt so much to hear her say __again__ what she's been saying for months but it __**does**_

"Well," said Elphaba, responding sarcastically as a cover for how she really felt. "_Perhaps_ that would be easier to do if everyone else wasn't so ready to think the worst of **me** in return!"

"Why must you always be like this, Elphaba?" retorted Nessa angrily. "You're always ruining things for me!"

"One can't help the way one is born!" snapped Elphaba, sarcastically repeating something she'd overheard Nessa say, to her new friends, when they asked about her very _strange_ sister. "Since my company is _obviously_ a great trial for you at the moment, Nessarose Thropp, I shall remove myself from your presence. I hope you have a good evening in spite of me!"

With that Elphaba stomped across the room, yanked the door open and slammed it behind her, leaving her sister to stare after her in astonishment.

Nessa was stunned, to say the _very_ least, she couldn't remember the last time her sister had actually shouted back at her. She was used to Elphaba's sarcasm, it was just how her sister was, but this sort of verbal attack was something new.

"Well," grumbled Nessa to herself. "She had better apologise for that soon or I shall be writing to Father about her behaviour!"

Since her sister was very clearly not interested in helping her get ready for the party Nessa decided to go in search of some of her friends, to ask their advice on what to wear to the Ozdust Ballroom.

* * *

Nessa had made a lot of friends at Shiz and, while she knew that most of them were only interested in her rank, she had become particular friends with four girls. The other girls shared a room, which made them easy to find and it was on the ground floor so Nessa was able to go and see them without asking someone to bring them to her.

"Come in," called out one of them, when Nessa knocked on the door.

"It's just me," said Nessa as she pushed the door open to see the four girls in various stages of preparing to go out that night.

"Miss Nessarose," said the vivacious Miss Rané. A charming young woman from the borderlands of Gillikin and Munchkinland who had pale skin, orange-red hair, and an overabundance, in her opinion, of freckles on her face and arms. At the moment she was affecting a snobbish upper class Gillikinese accent, modelled on the Literature professor, and failing miserable - mainly due to the fact that her hair was done up in rather undignified curlers.

"We are absolutely delighted to see you, dear classmate, what brings you to our most humble abode?"

"_I_ have been invited to the party tonight!" said Nessa proudly. "I was hoping one of you would have time to help me decide what to wear?"

"Dear Nessa!" squealed one of the Gillikinese twins, the blonde Kara, in delight. "Tell us who invited you?"

"Of course we assumed you had been invited _anyway_," interjected her brunette sister, Syra. "Or we would have invited you ourselves."

"Oh naturally I was going to ask if you wished to attend in a group with me," Nessa assured them. "This is what happened, I was on my way to do just that when Master Boq asked to speak to me! He wants to go to the party with me!"

All four of the girls, the one who hadn't spoken yet was Seiana a small, quiet, girl from Gillikin, knew that Nessa had developed a liking for Master Boq way back at the beginning of the term but – as they all agreed – it simply was not done for a lady to approach a young man she was interested in and Nessa had despaired of Boq _ever_ noticing her.

"That's simply wonderful!" declared Kara. "And of course we can come and help you pick your dress. Well not Rané, unless she _wants_ to be seen in public with her hair like that…"

"It will look fantastic when I take them out!" protested Rané.

"But the rest of us can. I know I already have my dress picked and some of us have naturally waved hair," she added, with a sly look at Rané, who pulled a childish face at her.

"We both decided to wear the party dresses we bought for Miss Cassia's birthday party, which is _weeks_ away," said Syra, explaining why they were ready so soon. "So we only need to fix our hair and makeup. We could do yours for you, if you like, once you're dressed?"

"Thank you for the offer but I can manage my own makeup, Syra. My father only lets me wear it for special occasions and I do think this would count, unlike normal classes."

"Oh, I sometimes forget how strict Munchkinlanders can be with their daughters," remarked Kara, a true Gillikinese girl.

"Never mind all that, Kara," said Syra, swatting her sister's arm with her hand. "We're supposed to be helping Nessa pick a dress remember?"

"I know, I was just saying…"

"Well you talk too much!" joked Syra. " Come on, Nessa, I think I remember just the dress in your wardrobe."

"Which one?" said Nessa eagerly.

"I definitely recall a rather fetching pale pink dress, with a matching half jacket, that your dear father sent to you a few week ago and I _know _you haven't worn it yet. I think that should be our first choice but of course we'll investigate the rest."

"Just as long as we're quiet," said Nessa. "You _never_ know when Madame Morrible is going to be in her half of the apartment and she gets so very…_polite_ when one makes too much noise!"

"Quiet it is,"

"Perhaps we should leave Kara here then!"

"Syra!"

"A simple joke, sister dear, a simple joke!"

As Nessa was wheeled back towards her room by Seiana, followed by the giggling twins, she couldn't help but feel jealous of how much the Gillikinese sisters cared for each other and wish that she belonged to…well to a normal family with a sister who would treat her like an equal and could be treated like an equal in return.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: despite the lack of response to chapter 1 here's:

**Flying Solo – Chapter Two**

_So this is Shiz University, _thought Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus. After the delightful Miss Galinda had disappeared in the direction of the girls' rooms Fiyero had gone exploring and found the place he was standing in now. A small garden hidden away on one of the rooftops where someone could look over the entire school.

_Just like every other school I've been to over the last what? Seven years? Eight years? I don't even bother to keep count anymore. Why do I even bother coming to these schools? Because Oz is too small to disappear into, I suppose, relatively speaking, as long as my family knows where I am they won't come looking for me. Though Father did sound somewhat more impatient than usual in that latest letter. Don't know why he bothers sending them, I never reply. The only reason he even knows where I am is because I don't forbid Avaric to tell them when I want him to take me somewhere else. I really must stop doing that, it's not as if I can't catch the train or a stagecoach like everyone else. Besides, maybe if he's back home for long enough he'll get up the courage to confess his feelings to Kalira. Of course, knowing my sister she's just as likely to corner him and demand he listen to her feelings before he gets a chance to think of a way to 'accidentally' run into the Princess. _

He heard the door creak and looked up, a girl in a dark uniform came through the door and sort of sidled off into the shadows. He didn't think she had seen him but just in case he leaned into the shadows of the tree he was under and concentrated on not being seen. It was an old Arjiki trick, he was very out of practice but his current level of skill was enough to fool the average person.

Of course he didn't know that the person he'd seen wasn't an average person and that was why she had disappeared into the shadows so quickly. The last thing Elphaba Thropp wanted was to get stuck being made fun of by, or worse _talking _to, Galinda's 'scandalacious Winkie Prince' _especially _after the rotten conversation she'd just had with her sister!

_The whole school is talking about him and practically worshipping him already, I wonder what he's doing sitting up here all alone._

"Who's there?" called out the Prince, much to Elphaba's surprise. Now there was nothing to do but respond politely and try to escape without being seen.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, sir," she said quickly. "I'll just be going now."

"There's no hurry, Miss," replied Fiyero. He was intrigued by the girl's accent, mostly Munchkinlander but to the educated ear there was a hint of something beneath it, a hint that she had spoken another language at some point. Judging from the fact she had called him 'sir' and wasn't falling over herself to come out and meet him he presumed her to be a servant of some kind rather than a student.

" I was just admiring the view," added Fiyero, when the girl didn't say anything else. "This school is in a very scenic place. Don't you think?"

_Is he actually interested in my answer, _wondered Elphaba. _Or does he really want to know what I think of the scenery? From what I heard already today he doesn't seem like the type to sit by himself admiring scenery…at least not the kind involving __**landscapes**_

"Do you not have any opinion on the landscape then, Miss?"

"Your pardon," said Elphaba, using Munchkin phrasing automatically. "When you mentioned the scenery I become involved in admiring it, sir. Shiz is very lovely, lovelier than a lot of Munchkinland."

"It's certainly more colourful than the last school I went to," continued Fiyero. It was sort of nice to be talking to someone who didn't pretend to be interested in every word he was saying, very refreshing. "That was up in the Gillikinese hills, nothing to look at but rocks and scrawny trees."

"It sounds lonely," replied Elphaba in a wistful, longing, sort of tone. The idea of hiding away in the lonely hills appealed to her immensely though she could se why _he_ wouldn't like it.

"Well it's difficult to be alone when you're stuck in a complex of buildings with several hundred other people."

"You can be lonely in a room full of people," replied Elphaba philosophically, speaking from experience.

"Far too true," agreed Fiyero. Feeling uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken, and being unable to get a good glimpse of the girl, he stepped out of his shadowy corner. "Well, as fascinating as this has been, Miss…what is your name?"

"Elphaba," she replied, offering no last name.

"Miss Elphaba, it was nice to almost meet you and, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go unpack, get changed, and be lonely in a room full of people. I hope you have a very good day."

With that Fiyero left the rooftop, leaving Elphaba alone though running into him and being polite had helped Elphaba's temper.

_What a fascinating enigma, _she thought._ Someone who seems to have everything he could want – friends, money, political power – and yet he seems so unhappy. _

She leaned on the wall for awhile, long enough to see Fiyero sauntering across the courtyard like a completely different person to the one she'd briefly spoken to.

_Well, _she thought, when he had vanished into the boys' dorms._ Staying up here isn't going to fix anything, I suppose. I should…no, I'll wait until tomorrow to apologise to Nessa. Talking to her now would just make things worse. I still want to thank Miss Galinda, though I don't know _what_ motivated her to be so nice to Nessa. The fact that she was nice suggests that I __**have**__ misjudged her character so I'm obliged to do something in return. I can't imagine what I could possibly do for Miss Galinda 'I have everything' Upland of the Upper Up…_

Elphaba stopped mid thought as she remembered Galinda's first introduction of herself to Shiz University population.

"She wants to be in Madame Morrible's Sorcery class!" she exclaimed, clapping her hand over her mouth when she realised it had been out loud.

_Surely if I ask Madame Morrible, if I explain that…that…well I'll think of __**something**__ to say._

* * *

"Come in," said Madame Morrible when someone knocked on the door of her office, she was absorbed in a letter and didn't look up until the person spoke.

"I beg your pardon for disturbing you, Madame Morrible."

"Miss Elphaba!"

Madame Morrible seemed very surprised to see her though Elphaba couldn't really imagine why, she didn't notice the Headmistress hurriedly stuffing the letter into a drawer.

"Back so soon, my dear, did you forget something?"

"No, Madame, I wanted to ask you to do something for me."

"A favour is it? Well you may certainly ask."

Elphaba took a deep breath, she was still not quite able to believe she was about to ask this of Madame Morrible but her voice didn't falter as she said it.

"I want you to let Galinda Upland join your Sorcery class."

"Galinda Upland," repeated Morrible incredulously, wondering if the girl had suffered a blow to the head sometime between the end of Sorcery class and now.

"You know, perky blonde, quite short, very high opinion of herself. I believe she's sent you daily requests for a change in roommates since the beginning of the year."

"I am quite aware of _who_ Miss Upland **is**, thank you Miss Elphaba, kindly restrain your sense of humour until you learn how to voice it appropriately."

"I beg your pardon again, Madame."

"If you had allowed me to explain I would have been able to tell you a bit sooner that I am surprised that you **want** Miss Upland in the class. She has been nagging me since the beginning of the year to let her even try the class but the main reason I have refused is that I believed your…dislike for each other would distract you too much. Do tell me what has happened that might change this?"

"I believe I can tolerate sharing a class with her, Madame."

"And what has changed your opinion of her so dramatically?"

"She did something very good, for someone I care about very much," explained Elphaba haltingly.

_Something good for Miss Nessarose?_ Concluded Morrible accurately. _I wonder what she could possibly have done that was so wonderful._

"I'm sorry, Miss Elphaba, you will simply to have to find some other way to show your…appreciation for Miss Upland's actions in some other way. If she were at all suitable for the class I would already have invited her to attend it."

"I really don't think there is anything else _I_ can do for **her**, Madame."

"Then you must settle for verbal thanks," said Morrible dismissively, missing the danger signs of Elphaba trying hard to keep her temper.

"I really must insist, Madame Morrible," said Elphaba, losing her usual shyness for the moment and straightening up to look the Headmistress in the eyes. "I could not **possibly** concentrate in Sorcery class if I felt that I had not properly repaid Miss Galinda for her kindness to my sister."

"Very well, Miss Elphaba," replied Morrible stiffly, inwardly resolving to put certain plans into motion. "Since you are **so** insistent I will tell Miss Galinda this very night that she will be joining the class."

"Thank you, Madame Morrible, I'll leave you to work."

_One down,_ thought Elphaba as she walked back towards the suite. _And one to go._

* * *

Galinda, and her two closest friends at Shiz Pfannee and Shenshen, spent the entire afternoon deciding what they were all going to wear to the party. Naturally Galinda was last, having been invited by the host she was the one who would need the most time to find suitable clothing and get ready for the dance.

"Now do me up," said Galinda, having **finally** found the perfect dress. One of the girls obliged then Galinda decided: "Now I must accessorise myself for Fiyero!"

Shenshen picked up a brand new hatbox from the dressing table, thinking it must be something Galinda hadn't worn yet, and pulled out one of the ugliest items of clothing she had ever seen.

"Galinda! What in Oz name?"

"Just pretend you didn't see **that**!" exclaimed Galinda, grabbing the hat and holding it at arms length. "My granny is always sending me the **most** hideodeous hats! I'd give it away but I don't hate _anyone_ that much."

Pfannee and Shenshen both turned and looked at the bare side of the room inhabited by Galinda's unwanted roommate, the same thought occurring to them at the same time.

"Yes you do!"

Galinda followed their line of sight and smiled ever so slightly.

"Oh no I couldn't!" she said, a token protest. "Could I?"

"Why shouldn't you?" countered Pfannee. "What has she ever done for you?"

"That's right!" agreed Sheshen. "It'll be a good laugh, Galinda, really. Give her that…hat and tell us all how it looks!"

"Better yet," suggested Pfannee. "Invite her to the party so we can all **see** how it looks!"

"Oh Miss Pfannee!" exclaimed Shenshen. "That is positively _wicked_!"

"I'll do it!" declared Galinda. "It would only be wicked if she _didn't_ deserve it! Now you two go and get yourselves ready and I'll see you at the party!"

The girls got out just in time (in their shared opinion), they passed Elphaba in the hallway and giggled as they did so. Elphaba rolled her eyes at their antics and steeled herself to talk to Galinda.

"Galinda," she started talking as soon as she opened the door so Galinda didn't have time to leave or insult her. "My sister and I were talking about you and…"

"And I was just talking about _you_," said Galinda in a shockingly friendly tone of voice.

"You _were_?

"I thought you might want to wear this hat," Galinda held up the hat, Elphaba hadn't seen noticed it in her rush to get her thank you out. "To the party tonight!"

Mistaking Elphaba's stunned expression for a dislike of the hat equal to Galinda's the blonde girl put on her most persuade tone to talk her into accepting it.

"It's really uhh…sharp, don't you think?

"I would have said pointy," muttered Elphaba.

"You know," continued Galinda, not hearing a word of it. "Black is this year's **pink**!"

_Does that make pink this year's black? _wondered Elphaba silently. _Sweet Oz I hope not!_

"You deserve each other, this hat and you, you're both so…smart!"

_Was that an actual compliment? I wonder if she's suffered a blow to the head since this morning. _

"I know it would look just perfect on you," finished Galinda, holding the hat out to Elphaba with a flourish.

"No, I couldn't," protested Elphaba, she didn't want to offend Galinda but it seemed strange that the girl was offering her a present after spending months sniping at her.

"I'm sure you have _friends_ who would be much more grateful to have a gift from you."

"Of course you can take it, you're the only person I could possibly want to give it to!" insisted Galinda.

"Well I…"

Elphaba sighed softly then decided that Galinda really did seem sincere in this sudden urge to give her a gift.

_Perhaps I'm the only girl at Shiz she hasn't tried to 'make over' yet or something._

"Thank you, Galinda," said Elphaba as she took the hat.

"Don't mention it!" replied Galinda brightly then added seriously (in case Elphaba thought she was just being polite) "I mean really **don't **mention it, to anyone I know, I wouldn't want people thinking I like you or anything."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Elphaba knew there was no point bothering to be offended when Galinda was so obviously oblivious to how hurtful she sounded.

"Oh look at the time! I must dash, I'm being collected soon, try not to be too late!"

"Galinda before you go I…"

She spoke too late Galinda was already gone, Elphaba hugged the hat against herself, it seemed too impossible to be true but Galinda really was being nice to her!

Frowning thoughtfully she considered the sparse wardrobe she'd brought to Shiz and decided to wear her blue dress as it was slightly prettier than the grey one Galinda had once referred to as 'not fit for a rag bag'.

_It's so much easier to make decisions about clothes and shoes when you don't have many choices,_ thought Elphaba as she changed her clothes and pondered how much simpler this was compared to what Galinda put herself through every day.


	3. Chapter 3

Fiyero collected Galinda outside the girls' boarding house promptly at eight o'clock and they were fashionably late entering the Ozdust ballroom.

"Great turnout," remarked Fiyero when he saw how many people were dancing in the room.

"It's just wonderful!" agreed Galinda.

"Shall we dance?"

"I've been looking forward to it all day!"

Fiyero admired Galinda as they danced, he loved a woman who knew how to dress to best advantage and this girl certainly did!

"You know, you are alarmingly pretty," complimented Fiyero, it wasn't fair not to tell her she was gorgeous after all.

"Well of course," replied Galinda cheerfully, as if there was no way she could be otherwise.

From the other side of the room someone else was admiring the beautiful Miss Upland, until the person he had invited noticed he was distracted and tried to make conversation.

"What's in the punch?" asked Nessa, sipping the drink he had fetched for her.

"Lemons and melons and pears," replied Boq, still distracted by Galinda and by the fact he had invited Nessarose her under false pretences.

"Oh my."

"Listen Nessa…"

"Yes?"

"There's something I have to tell you, there's a reason…you see, a reason why I asked you to the party tonight. I know it isn't fair but…"

"Oh Boq, I _know_ why," interrupted Nessarose reassuringly even though she felt like her heart was being torn apart, she should have known it was pity.

"You do?" replied Boq in surprise, he didn't think his feelings for Galinda were that obvious and surely Nessarose had been too far away to hear Galinda suggest he ask her to the dance.

"It's because you felt sorry for me, isn't it? I suppose you heard me telling my friends that I had never been to a party with people my own age before because I can't dance, I can't even walk!"

"No! No!" protested Boq, even though he hated himself for lying to her and thought he would probably regret encouraging her feelings. "It's because…because…well it's because you are so beautiful."

That, at least, was not a lie and the look of surprised delight o Nessa's face almost made it worth it.

"You really think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course I do!"

"Oh Boq, I think you're **wonderful**! And I'm so glad we have this time to get to know each other. Don't you see this is our chance? We deserve each other, don't we Boq?"

"You know what?" prevaricated Boq, not knowing how to respond to her out pouring of feelings but not wanting to upset her. "Let's dance!"

"What?" repeated Nessa incredulously, thinking he was being incredibly insensitive after what she had just said about being unable to dance.

"Let's dance!" repeated Boq, grabbing the handles of her chair and pulling her out into the middle of the floor.

Galinda and Fiyero, taking a rest from the energetic dancing, stood to one side of the room. Suddenly everyone fell quiet and the dancing slowed down, Galinda was almost certain that it must be her roommate arriving when she heard an unexpected voice calling her name imperiously.

"Miss Upland."

"Madame Morrible?" she squeaked in shock, seeing the Headmistress outside Shiz University was like seeing a Quadling in a tearoom and up until today she would have thought it just as unlikely.

"What are you doing here?" she asked nervously, wondering if the Headmistress had come to disperse the gathering.

"I have something for you," replied Madame Morrible, looking thoroughly unimpressed by that fact she held out a wand to the blonde girl.

"Oh Madame!" gasped Galinda "A training wand! How can I ever express my gratitution?"

"Don't thank **me**, this was your roommate's idea not **mine**."

"What? Elphaba?" repeated Galinda, as if she had more than one roommate, surely the green girl wasn't so impressed by the gift of that ugly hat that she actually asked Madame Morrible to do this!

"Miss Elphaba requested that I include you in sorcery class. She **insisted **I tell you this very night or **she** would quit the seminar."

"But why?" asked Galinda, slightly dazed and certain that she knew why. It became obvious quite shortly that Madame Morrible didn't know.

"I have no idea," lied Madame Morrible, not caring to go into the details in this badly lit darkened room when she wanted to get back to her own apartments.

"My _personal_ opinion is **you** do not have what it takes. I _hope_ you'll prove me wrong... I **doubt** you will."

With that less than encouraging statement Morrible swept out of the room leaving Galinda to wonder if Elphaba had done her that much of a favour after all.

"What is it?" asked Fiyero, approaching Galinda now that the intimidating headmistress had departed.

"I got what I wanted," replied Galinda, sounding slightly uncertain about that statement.

"Then what's the matter?" asked Fiyero, at the same time making Galinda realise that she had nothing to be upset about.

"Nothing!"

"Good," replied Fiyero, worried for a moment that she was going to go all moodified. "Let's dance!"

They had only just managed to start to dance when the room fell completely silent, again, but this time only for moments before giggles and whispered comments broke out. Galinda looked up and saw Elphaba standing at the top of the stairs, wearing the hat and one of her horrible hand me down dresses, she was surprised to find that she didn't feel triumphant about her roommate's public humiliation.

"Who in **Oz** is _that_?" exclaimed Fiyero as Galinda watched Elphaba yank the hat off and hold it uncertainly in front of her.

"My roommate, please don't stare!"

"Well how can you help it?"

As soon as she entered the room Elphaba knew that Galinda had played a cruel trick on her and she was annoyed with herself for not trusting her first instincts and realising that.

_Well it's not as if I haven't been laughed at before!_ She decided, pushing away the urge to cry and walking slowly onto the dance floor. _Let them laugh at me, I was invited, I'm staying, and if a single one of them dares ask me why I'm here I will tell them __**who**__ invited me!_

Looking straight at Galinda she put the hat back on, turned her back on everyone, and started to dance as if she were oblivious to the fact there was no music being played.

"I'll say this much for her," remarked Fiyero to Galinda as the strange girl danced. "She doesn't give a twig what anyone else thinks."

"Of course she does!" said Galinda, even though she had thought the same until this very moment. "She just _pretends_ not to. Oh I feel **awful**!"

"Why?" asked Fiyero curiously, this was the most genuine emotion he'd yet seen Galinda display. "It's not like it's _your_ fault."

"Actually," muttered Galinda. "It is. Please excuse me."

Elphaba pretended not to notice Galinda approaching her even when the other girl was standing less than a metre from her. Galinda cleared her throat, extremely aware that all eyes in the room were now fixed on her as well, and then spoke to Elphaba.

"May I…cut in?" she offered feebly.

Elphaba stopped dancing and looked at her, Galinda tried to mimic Elphaba's dance without much success and stopped. That proved to Elphaba that she was being genuine, there was no way Galinda Upland would do something so potentially embarrassing unless she meant it. Elphaba shrugged and gestured for Galinda to continue, if she wanted to.

Galinda started the dance again, this time getting the hang of it, and after finishing it once whispered to Elphaba to join in. Elphaba didn't think she could have been anymore surprised that night but as she started dancing with Galinda the musicians seemed to recover from their shock and start playing again and then more people started dancing like Galinda was until everyone in the room seemed to be dancing her dance.

"Isn't this more fun than staying in your room," Galinda asked Elphaba, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the middle of the dance floor. Elphaba was now sure that Galinda had given her the hat and the invitation to embarrass her and really didn't know what could have happened to make her regret that but she decided to enjoy being one of the crowd even if, by tomorrow, Galinda was going to claim it was charity.

"It is quite…fun," agreed Elphaba quietly, without any hint of sarcasm. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Well thank **you** for asking Madame Morrible to invite me to Sorcery class. It was very…very good of you."

The party continued, with Elphaba being included by all of the students in their group dances, until nearly midnight when it was nearly curfew. Galinda chattered happily to Elphaba on the way back to their room about the other parties she had been to.

"What do you think?" she asked Elphaba when she finally paused for breath as they entered the bedroom.

"Well that was the first party I've ever been to," explained Elphaba.

"Your very first party _ever_?" exclaimed Galinda.

"Do funerals count?" asked Elphaba, taking her hat off and sitting down on her bed

"Your very first party ever!" Galinda shook her head and sat down next to Elphaba. "I know, let's tell each other something we've never told anyone. I'll go first! Fiyero and I are going to be married!"

Elphaba winced slightly as Galinda squealed.

"He's asked you already?"

"Oh **he** doesn't know yet," replied Galinda airily. "Now you tell me a secret."

"Like what?" asked Elphaba, thinking that the situation was a bit unfair when she hadn't actually agreed to hear Galinda's secret.

"Like…" she suddenly dived across the bed and pulled something out from under Elphaba's pillow. "Why do you always sleep with this funny little green bottle under your pillow?"

"Give that back!" demanded Elphaba, outraged by the invasion of her personal space.

"Come on tell!" said Galinda, dancing out of each.

"Give it back!" shouted Elphaba, snatching the bottle back and flopping down on the bed again. "It was my mother's that's all!"

"That's not fair, I told _you_ a really good one."

Galinda sat down on her bed quietly.

"My father hates me," blurted out Elphaba, smiling slightly when Galinda gasped. "No that's **not** the secret! The secret is…he has a good reason."

Galinda, despite the fact that she herself had loathed Elphaba for months, couldn't see what she could have done to make her own father hate her.

"It's my fault," continued Elphaba as Galinda sat down next to her.

"What is?"

"That my sister is…the way she is," Elphaba paused to think of the best way to explain. "When our mother was carrying Nessa our father became worried that the new baby might come out well…"

"Green," finished Galinda just as Elphaba said the same thing.

"He was so worried that he made our mother chew milkflowers day and night. Only it made Nessa come too soon, with her little legs all tangled, and our mother…never woke up. None of which would ever have happened, if not for me."

"But that was the milkflowers fault, not yours," protested Galinda. "That may be your secret, Elphaba, but that doesn't make it _true_."

There was an awkward silence, Galinda looked out the window to avoid seeing Elphaba's face – it was only polite not to look when she might be crying.

"Oh look," she pointed at the clock as it struck midnight. "It's tomorrow! And Elphie? Is it all right if I call you Elphie?"

"Well it's a bit _perky_," responded Elphaba.

"And you can call **me**…Galinda. You see, Elphie, now that we're friends I've decided to make you my new project."

_I do not like the sound of __**this**_

"Oh you _really _don't have to do **that**!" replied Elphaba hurriedly.

"I know," replied Galinda cheerfully patting Elphaba's hand. "That's what makes **me** so nice!"

Galinda took a deep breath and Elphaba looked sideways at her.

_Surely she isn't going to…__**sing**__? Oh sweet Oz, she is!_

"_Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I,_" sang Galinda, in a confiding tone."_And let's face it - who isn't less fortunate than I? My tender heart tends to start to bleed!_"

_Is this some sort of Gillikinese thing?_ Wondered Elphaba as Galinda leapt to her feet, still singing.

"_And when someone needs a makeover I simply have to take over. I know, I __**know, **__exactly__ what they need._ _And even in your case…_"

Elphaba resisted the urge to flinch as Galinda removed her glasses in an experimental fashion then pulled an odd little face and put them back.

"_Though it's the toughest case I've yet to face, don't worry, I'm determined to succeed,_" she gestured for Elphaba to stand up with her, not noticing how reluctant the green girl was because she was too busy noticing her terrible posture.

"_Follow my lead and yes, indeed you will be…popular! You're gonna be popular!_"

Galinda grabbed Elphaba's hands, giving her the feeling she was supposed to be joining in the song and dancing or something like that

"_I'll teach you the proper ploys when you talk to boys, little ways to flirt and flounce._"

She dragged Elphaba across the room and made her sit down on Galinda's bed then started pulling Elphaba's hair out of its braid quite roughly.

"Oh! _I'll show you what shoes to wear_, _how to fix your hair, everything that really counts to be popular._"

_Oh thank Oz she's stopped pulling my hair!_ Thought Elphaba, smiling at Galinda gratefully.

"_I'll help you be popular! You'll hang with the right cohorts, you'll be good at sports, know the slang you've __**got**__ to know. So let's start 'cause you've got an awfully long way to go._"

_Well_, wondered Elphaba, turning away from Galinda and pointedly not smiling anymore. _If that's how she feels why is she bothering?_

_Oh no!_ thought Galinda. _I didn't mean that quite the way it sounded!_

"_Don't be offended by my frank analysis!"_ exclaimed Galinda, jumping up onto the bed behind Elphaba and hugging her shoulders.

"_Think of it as personality dialysis! Now that I've chosen to be come a pal, a sister and adviser there's nobody wiser not when it comes to popular -I know about popular and with an assist from me to be who you'll be instead of dreary who-you-were, well, are…" _she concluded, patting Elphaba on the shoulder sympathetically as she stood up.

"_There's nothing that can stop you from becoming popu-ler. Lar._"

_This doesn't seem to be working,_ thought Galinda quickly. _Time for drastic measures!_

Elphaba stared in a amazement as Galinda skipped across the room, singing "la la, la la."

"_We're gonna make you popular!_"

Galinda saw Elphaba trying to hide a smile and knew she had succeeded in her goal.

"_When I see depressing creatures with unprepossessing features,_" Galinda skipped back to the bed and removed Elphaba's glasses again then picked up something else and mimed opened her mouth to Elphaba. "_I remind them on their own behalf to think of celebrated heads of state or 'specially great communicators._"

Elphaba blinked and tried to pull away as Galinda put strawberry smelling…stuff on her mouth. Naturally Galinda didn't notice even when Elphaba wiped the…stuff off of her mouth.

"_Did they have brains or knowledge? Don't make me laugh! They were __**popular**__! Please, it's all about popular!_"

_That actually makes a lot of sense,_ thought Elphaba, realising for the first time that Galinda was as…as…_**blonde**_ as she pretended to be.

"_It's not about aptitude it's the way you're viewed. So it's very shrewd to be very, very, popular like __**me**_"

I could never be as popular as Galinda! Even if I was less…less…well less **me**. 

"This is **never** going to work," protested Elphaba.

"Oh Elphie!" disagreed Galinda, dancing around the room. "You mustn't say that anymore! Your whole life is going to change, and all because of **me**!"

Elphaba felt a funny little shiver run through her as Galinda told her that her whole life was going to change, the blonde girl sounded so certain she couldn't help wondering if it was true.

"Now," announced Galinda. "I am going to teach you how to toss your hair."

Elphaba looked doubtfully from Galinda's shoulder length, and frankly _bouncy_, blonde hair to her own long, straight, hair and sighed softly. She knew that Galinda would probably keep cajoling her until she cooperated and decided to make it easy on herself by at least trying. Unfortunately even after watching Galinda's "toss, toss" demonstration she still had no idea what the blonde girl was doing.

"Uhh…toss…toss…" she repeated, trying to mimic the action.

"No, no, like this!" said Galinda, repeating the demonstration with exaggerated movements. "Toss…toss, now you try."

"Toss…toss…" Elphaba tried again, and again, feeling like a complete idiot and wondering yet again if Galinda was only making her do this so she could laugh at her later. "Toss…toss…"

"Well you can practice," interrupted Galinda when it looked like Elphaba was going to injure herself. Smiling brightly she picked up her training wand and ordered Elphaba to stand up.

"I shall now transform your simple frock into a beautiful ballgown," she announced grandly and pointed the wand at her roommate, which had the effect of making Elphaba start fervently hoping that the blonde girl knew what she was doing or at least knew enough to not hurt anyone while trying to do magic.

"Ballgown!"

Elphaba flinched then heaved a sigh of relief when nothing happened.

"Ballgown!" demanded Galinda, stamping her foot. "Is this thing **on**?"

"Do you want me to try?" offered Elphaba, anything to get the wand out of Galinda's hands.

" I got it," said Galinda, she tapped the wand against the bed then tossed it over her shoulder. "Oh just wear the frock, it's pretty!"

She pulled Elphaba back over to the bed and made her sit down again.

"Now for the finishing touch!"

Galinda pulled the artificial flower out of her own hair and pinned it into her friend's then rearranged Elphaba's hair to fall over her shoulders.

"Ooh pink goes good with green!" exclaimed Galinda, picking up her hand mirror to show Elphaba her reflection – just what she would have done for any friend she'd given a makeover. "Why, Miss Elphaba, look at you. You're beautiful."

Elphaba took the mirror, smiling at the surprise in Galinda's voice, and looked into it. It was still the same **green** reflection, of course she hadn't expected it to be any different…and yet there was something. This was the reflection of a girl who might have a friend, if the person who had just told her she was beautiful wasn't just playing her false for a joke.

"I...I have to go," she jumped up abruptly and shoved the mirror back at Galinda before bolting out of the room.

"Well you're welcome," Galinda yelled after her, then smiled at her own reflection in the mirror. She felt like she had really accomplished something tonight.

"_And though you protest your disinterest I know, clandestinely, you're gonna grin and bear it your new found popularity! La la la la you'll be popular… just not as quite as popular as __**me**_"

* * *

AN: yes, that was Galinda actually singing 'Popular' - since the Muses belong to me I can assure you that no one could possibly have found that more disturbing than I did while writing 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"I...I have to go," Elphaba jumped up abruptly and shoved the mirror back at Galinda before bolting out of the room.

"Well you're welcome,"

She distantly heard Galinda yell after her as she ran as fast as she could, and surprisingly quietly considering the heaviness of her boots, along the hallway.

Without even thinking about it she went across the walkway to the main school building, the locked door was no impediment to her instinctive use of magic to unlock it, then up the stairs again to the rooftop garden that had been her only refuges since arriving at Shiz. Slowing to a walk she sat down on the low wall that surrounded one of the gardens and started taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

That was probably not the best way to react to Galinda being so…nice, but then Galinda is fairly thick-skinned and…

The thought trailed off as she heard a noise, or thought she did, that sounded like someone else in the garden but who could possibly be up here at nearly the first hour of the morning? Frowning slightly she tried to remember if she had unlocked the door to the rooftop when she came up here – it was usually locked at sunset so she should have had to but this time she hadn't and just had not noticed the fact until now.

_Someone, or rather a couple of someones, probably snuck up here after the party_, she though irritably, it wouldn't be the first time she had come close to interrupting a couple's private time. _This would happen on a night when I really want to be alone._

Rolling her eyes and decided she had as much right to be up here after curfew as any other students who were supposed to be in bed she stalked across the roof and pulled herself up to perch on the higher wall. It gave her such a thrill to look out over Shiz, towards Shiz City, and know there was nothing beneath her feet but several storeys of empty air – it reminded her of the dreams she sometimes had of flying.

Fiyero heard the door open and leaned further into the shadowy corner with a soft sigh, he had thought that this would be the one place in the school where he was unlikely to run into anyone. He couldn't even ask them to leave because it was bound to be someone who would know who he was and want to talk to him or worse, if it was a girl, _flirt_ with him. Not that he objected to the flirting in general but he'd had to think of nice things to say to most of the women at the party earlier that night and he really just wanted some time alone.

He stepped out into the main part of the garden again and looked around.

_I could have sworn I heard someone up here_, he thought, when he couldn't see the person. _They must have left._

He turned away from the building and nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise when he saw someone sitting on the _outer_ wall of the garden.

"What is Oz are you doing?" he exclaimed before it occurred to him that startling the person was not the wisest course of action.

Elphaba's natural reaction to people raising their voices at her was to jump to her feet and give back as good as she got (unless the people in question were family of course). Time seemed to slow down as she heard the man's shocked yell and recalled, moments too late, that the nearest place to put her feet was six storeys down.

It was far easier than it should have been to break the restraints Madame Morrible had helped her, months ago, put on her powers 'to protect herself and others' the Headmistress had said but obviously she needed to use her powers to protect herself _now_ so that didn't apply.

None of the spells they had covered in Sorcery class mentioned anything about falling, or rather **not** falling, they were still covering what Madame Morrible referred to as "the Basics of the Art" – like how to use a training wand without making it explode or fly across the room.

Something Madame had started to teach her, when it became obvious it was going to take longer than expected to learn the wand work, was visualisation. It was, so Madame said, not a substitute for 'true control' but for emergency use quite acceptable.

All of this thinking happened very quickly and Elphaba was only a meter or so down from the top of the wall when she reached down with her magic and imagined she was standing on solid ground already. It worked almost too well; she actually crashed into the magical platform before she could stop herself.

That wasn't so bad, now to get back up there before that idiot runs off to get help.

She could, and probably should, have climbed the wall itself but she was in a hurry to get back up before the other person left so she just focused on 'telling' the air that it was stairs and climbed back to the top of the wall.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, standing on the top of the wall and glaring at the retreating figure.

Fiyero turned around and stared at her in shock, he knew she had fallen it was impossible that she could be back on the roof!

"You're…you…**how** did you?"

The girl, Galinda's roommate he realised, slid down from the wall with an ungracious bump and shrugged sullenly.

"Magic," she muttered in a tone of voice he couldn't quite pick, though there was a definite note of 'well how else?' in it.

"You're a…" he paused for a moment, he'd spoken Ozian and Arjiki all of his life but he still had to stop and concentrate on translating some words, on this occasion he was trying to recall the Ozian word for magic users. "A witch?"

"Well done, Master Tiggular, top marks."

Guessing from the heavy sarcasm that she didn't care for the title he changed the subject quickly.

"What are you doing up here anyway, Miss…?"

"Elphaba Thropp, Galinda's roommate, we've met twice now."

"Twice?" repeated Fiyero slowly. "Oh that was _you_ up here yesterday afternoon I didn't realise you were a student."

"To answer your question," she continued, in a softer tone. "I was…overwhelmed by Galinda's sudden enthusiasm for pursuing a friendship with me. What's your excuse?"

"_My_ 'excuse'?"

"Do you have trouble with my accent or something? _Your_ excuse for being up here, _alone_ no less, in the middle of the night."

"You thought I was up here…with someone?"

"To be precise, I thought someone was up here with someone. You are avoiding the question."

"I was…overwhelmed by everyone's enthusiasm for pursuing a friendship with me," replied Fiyero, trying to mimic her accent in hopes of amusing her, now that he had realised what she was he really did not want to upset her.

"How droll," she replied dryly. "Well far be it for _me_ to interrupt _you_, goodnight."

"Goodnight," muttered Fiyero as she walked past him without so much as a backward glance.

_I do wish Galinda had warned me how cranky her roommate was_, he thought irritably and then he felt a bit ashamed of himself for blaming Galinda when she hadn't exactly had a chance to do anything of the sort. _I'll be extra nice next time I see her to make up for thinking unkindly of her. She's a pleasant, pretty, thing and I'd rather like to spend more time with her. _

* * *

Shiz University was particularly quiet, even for a rest day, the next morning due to the majority of the student body having been out until curfew and awake for hours after discussing the party. 

Elphaba had a particularly miserable day, in addition to the usual stares and whispers she received lectures from both her sister (for _daring_ to turn up at the party) and, more worryingly, from Madame Morrible for using magic outside of sorcery class.

Meanwhile Galinda slept in until the blissful hour of noon, gasped over the mess her hair was in, spent an hour repairing the 'damage' to her appearance then another half an hour casually strolling around the campus with Pfannee and Shenshen in hopes of meeting Fiyero. Her friends managed to keep silent for fifteen minutes before they just**had** to find out how much of the gossip flying around the campus was true.

"Galinda, dear," began Pfannee. "I just can not stay silent for another moment, I simply must tell you of the rumours going around about you!"

"We were both at the party and we know what we _saw_ but we don't understand what it _means_," explained Shenshen.

Galinda had known this moment had to come, of course, and she was prepared to deal with it with her usual charm.

"Dear Pfannee, dear Shenshen, I can only assume that you are referring to my including … my roommate in last night's festivities."

Both girls nodded emphatically so Galinda continued speaking, oozing sincerity with every word.

"I just felt _so_ ashamed of myself, of course it was an absolute riot to see her in that…dress and hat but it was such an unladylike way to behave. I'm sure my dear mother would shudder to think that I could be so cruel to someone who has already had so much misfortune in her life. I had forgotten my noble breeding, dear ladies, in favour of revenge against someone who was simply born _different_ and in less lucky circumstances to most of us. Of course you, being ladies yourselves, know that it is our _duty_ to help the disadvantaged in any way that we can and I hope you will see, as I have, that it is below us to mock such a person."

"You really are simply **too** good, dear Galinda, we should have known immediately that you could have only the purest motives for your actions!"

"Shenshen is absolutely right!" agreed Pfannee enthusiastically. "It makes perfect sense that you were being kind to her, even though she doesn't deserve it after some of the tricks she played on you."

"But, as Galinda said, she can't help being born the way she was and I suppose that's enough to affect anyone's personality in a negative fashion."

"And you couldn't find a person with a more negatively affected personality!"

"Perhaps," offered Galinda, after Pfannee's last outburst. "Being in polite company will help her learn some manners?"

"It might," agreed Shenshen. "She is a Governor's daughter after all, surely some sort of manners must have rubbed off on her even if she doesn't use them."

The girls nodded thoughtfully to each other, all silently weighing noble blood against a 'negatively affected personality' such as Miss Elphaba's.

"I believe Galinda has done exactly the right thing," announced Pfannee confidently. "We were all a bit…high-spirited when we started school here and we just got off on the wrong foot. I'm sure if we had been polite, as we should have, from the start Miss Elphaba would have done the same."

Galinda was nowhere near as certain but nodded agreeably and let Shenshen speak her thoughts.

"And once everyone else sees that the three of us are being reasonable to, and treated reasonably by, Miss Elphaba I am certain they will do the same."

"We should start as soon as possibly then," agreed Pfannee. "We've got months of damage to undo. That is, if you think Miss Elphaba will be agreeable?"

"Well who _wouldn't_ want to be popular by association with **us**?" asked Galinda rhetorically, vowing to herself that she would darn well **make** Elphaba do what was good for her.

* * *

**AN:**so this one looks a little Elphiyero with that beginning scene – at least it does to me, but I promise that it's friendship Elphiyero and Fiyero/Galinda romance :) 


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